I know there are tests to determine how insulin resistant you might be...possibly someone else can jump in here with information as to how that's determined.

As far as resistance and taking artificial insulin...yes, taking insulin does work if you have resistance. Resistance just means that your body needs way more insulin than the average person in order to utilize glucose.

And, no...the insulin itself doesn't build up in your body exactly. If your blood sugar levels are high AND you're producing ketones, you'd be losing weight. If you're not losing weight and your blood sugar levels are high, then I believe it's that the free-floating glucose in your blood stream changes the way your body metabolizes things and causes you to gain weight. (Here again...one of the more scientific people might be able to jump in and explain this better.)

If I recall, Twokatts, you are a Type 2 who has been having difficulties getting your blood sugar levels under control? It just might be time to start taking insulin.

Thanks Ruth for the info....I am taking insulin---rapid before meals and Levemir at night....still have the morning highs tho....a couple weeks ago my DR dropped my Levemir from 55units at night to 42 because of going low in middle of night. Now the diabetic nurse I see, said he should not have done that. So she has put me on a regime of upping from 42 units---to 2 more units every 3 nights. So now I am at 64 units and my morning readings are going higher too...This morning it was 15 mmol...

This all seems so strange to me and confusing....and I am not having lows at night anymore either....

I also heard something about brittle diabetics.

Could you explain that to me a bit....

I am really pi--ed at the DR actually an ENDO.
My family DR seems to know more than him.

Of, for cryin' out loud....the reason your doctor dropped your levemir at night was precisely because you were going low at night...thus your morning highs were probably rebounds! The nurse should NOT have upped it! And of course your morning readings are going even higher.

Go back to doing what your doctor suggested, and keep testing, both at night (set an alarm to test at, say, 3 AM) and in the morning. I'll bet you see those morning numbers start to come down with the reduced dose of Levemir.

I'm on Lantus and had the same thing happen. My morning readings were going higher and higher which happened because I was having reactions in the middle of the night and my liver was dumping all of its glycogen (which is NOT GOOD!). Once she lowered my dose my sugars leveled out. Also I now take Lantus in the morning instead of at night. You might want to talk to your Endo. Also I would NEVER EVER EVER listen to a nurse or change my insulin based on what a nurse says. They went to med school for 4 years and generalized whereas an Endo was at med school for 7 and THEN specialized. Also I am Canadian and know the health care system up here very well (I've been diabetic for 25 years) so I know it's a load of crap when you say you can't change Endos. Of course you can. I have when my favorite retired and I didn't like the new one. Also in Canada they give you 15 min of time....demand longer or write your questions down and hand her/him the sheet. Ask for diabetes education classes. In Canada since we don't pay for the visit you need to be pushier to get what you want.

Hi dibeticathlete: You haven't been to Ontario lately. Where I live we have 40000 people with out DR's. Our city is 500000.
And no we can't just ask for another ENDO> Because there are none...

The nurse who adjusted my insulin was from Mcmaster Hospital I think better informed than the DR was..She comes once a month at the DR's request to talk to patients and adjust insulin....she just specializes in diabetics...
I have appt. with DR this week and will discuss all what is going on ---AGAIN--->>he would like me to go back to my family physician for care but my family DR sent me there in the first place.

THE HEALTH CARE SYSTOM IS A MESS....
The endo should not have dropped my Levemir so much all at once. Gradually would have been better...

Twokatss...
If you're going low in the middle of the night, then your bedtime or evening levemir is too high...that's all there is to it. Okay, perhaps you could have lowered it more gradually, but the nurse told you to raise it even higher than it was, and she was absolutely WRONG!

It would be far better to lower it as much as the doctor suggested and risk some daytime highs, which you could correct, than to keep going low in the middle of the night. The more lows one experiences, the greater the risk of hypoglycemic unawareness, even when you're awake. Lows are NOT good!

Hi
sorry to just jump in here, but I have been diagnosed with insulin resistance and too am having high morning readings. I wake with sweating, anxiety, headache, nightmares, and general feel bads. My morning reading are always high, although below 126 normally, a couple of times around 130.

I have had a rough year health wise but think alot of it centers around my insulin resistance from years of bad eating habits. The worse part right now is that early morning anxiety that passes after I get up, move around and get going. I have had some hypoglycemia in the past, but I think now it is dropping in the night right before I get up. I am on no medications for this. My doctor has suggested metformin might help.